RELEASE NOTES · OCTOBER 5, 2026
MacRunner 1.0.8
Less CPU work per frame, faster loading, sound fixes for two games, and 32-bit Windows programs can now be started from the app.
Download MacRunner 1.0.8 from GitHub →
What changed since 1.0.7
| Area | Change |
|---|---|
| Less CPU work per frame | The engine now uses the processor's hardware x86 memory-ordering mode by default instead of emulating that ordering in software. In Hollow Knight's menu the game used 23% less CPU time per frame than under 1.0.7 (alternating runs; run-to-run spread 0.9%). The frame rate there was already at the display's 120 Hz limit, so the gain is headroom rather than a higher number. |
| Faster loading | Four translator settings that avoid translating the same code again are now on by default. On this engine code, before final packaging, Hollow Knight reached its menu in 25.4 s instead of 31.1 s (two alternating pairs); ABZU changed by −1.5% (one pair). The time was not re-measured on the final package. |
| Sound | Three corrections to x87 floating-point state handling: music in Heroes of Might and Magic III (32-bit) now plays, and the sound mix in Hedon (64-bit) no longer breaks. 32-bit programs now also see an audio device. |
| 32-bit programs from the app (experimental) | 1.0.7 contained the 32-bit runtime, but the app itself refused to launch such programs. Also fixed for 32-bit programs: nine window messages that were silently dropped, window and viewport geometry (the shifted picture in Heroes of Might and Magic III), a failure when starting threads, and suspending a thread that is busy inside translated code. |
| No network lookup on every launch | Wine's session start used to resolve the Mac's own host name through the network. With the macOS “Local Network” privacy protection this could add tens of seconds to each launch on some Macs (36 s → 0.8 s on a clean cloud Mac). The name is now taken locally. |
| Keyboard layout | While a game runs, the app selects your Latin keyboard layout and restores the previous one when the game exits, so WASD works when your current layout is, for example, Russian. The switch can be turned off in the app's settings. |
| x86 correctness | AVX code that modifies itself now runs correctly; BLSR and BLSMSK set the carry flag the way real processors do; denormal handling (DAZ/FTZ) in hardware floating point matches x86; the translator's code-buffer guard now accounts for 16 KB host pages, which fixes a hang in Hollow Knight found while testing this release. |
| Moved or renamed app | The Windows imaging component is now registered again for the app's current location, which addresses the 1.0.7 problem with bottles created before the app was moved. |
| Reproducible translator | Both translator modules of this build were rebuilt from the published sources on a clean cloud Mac and came out byte-identical to the shipped files. |
Checked on this build
On the final signed and notarized build, without any input, to the main menu: Hollow Knight, ABZU, Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition, Stardew Valley and Heroes of Might and Magic III. On the same engine code and settings, before the final packaging: Hedon, Vampire Survivors, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin and Dome Keeper reached their first screens. Gameplay, input and long sessions were not verified for this build.
Known limits
There is no Direct3D 12 in this build, so games that need it (for example Elden Ring) cannot be started from it. 32-bit support is experimental: x87 floating-point code, common in 32-bit games, is still slow. Ion Fury stops at its own setup dialog in unattended runs; its game screen was not verified. Floating-point exception flags and the NaN sign in some SSE operations differ from Windows.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not part of this build — it has a separate experimental preview.
Tested games
Results are tied to the runtime and settings used for each check.
Read the tested games and their limits →